Forever After the Storm
by deggyy
Summary: Life is Strange Episode 5 spoilers: After Max chooses Chloe, she confronts the consequences of her decision. But it's not all bad, she has her partner in crime and time.


Chapter 1

I tore the photo in half, casting it into the tempest I created. I stepped back from the cliff and held Chloe's hand. We looked over the cliff, at Arcadia Bay—our home—being utterly destroyed. By my storm. By me. Joyce is down there. So is Warren, the boy who loved me. Kate, the girl I saved. David, the protector who doesn't know how to show love. Frank, the hard drug dealer with a soft spot for his dog. Rachel, the girl Nathan killed. The girl I couldn't save. The girl Chloe loved. The tornado destroyed buildings, and I could only pray no one was in them.

I'm so selfish. People are down there. People are dying. I just stand up here looking down on them like an angry god. What… what have I done?

I started to cry, and buried my face in Chloe's shoulder. She embraced me. This. This is what it was all for. This wonderful girl. My best friend. My partner in crime and time. I wanted to tell her how important she was to me. How much I cared. But I could do was cry. I thought I'd cry forever, but eventually, I couldn't cry anymore. There just weren't any tears left. I realized how cold the rain was. Chloe was shivering.

"Come on, Max, let's get back to the truck." I pulled my head away from her shoulder and looked up at her. I wanted to say okay, but I couldn't even manage that. I just opened my mouth, but the sound couldn't make it past my clenched throat. I nodded.

Chloe kept her arm around me as we walked to her truck. The storm was dying down, but the rain and wind were still freezing cold. Chloe helped me into her truck, then got in the other side and started it up. She ran the heat. I stared at the rain drops hitting the passenger window. Each drop was mine. A small reminder of the things I destroyed. The people I've hurt. Killed, even. I thought of all the lives in Arcadia Bay. A drop for every life I may have just taken.

"Max?" Chloe was looking down at the floor of her truck. I could see she was crying. She mumbled something.

"What?"

"I… god… I… I didn't deserve that. I mean, thank you, Max, but I didn't deserve that." She looked up. "I owe you everything. I'll be always be with you, Max."

" _Forever_." I slid across the bench seat in her truck, sitting right next to her. She put her arm around me. She stopped crying. I looked at her and realized I had been focusing on the wrong thing. She was with me. We were together, and we always would be. I chose this wonderful girl, this punk rocker who brings out the best in me. I couldn't help but smile a little.

"I made the right choice, Chloe."

"How could I have been worth any of this? You sacrificed the town for me. ME. Worthless me. Are you really sure you made the right choice?" She punctuated her sentence with a sniffle.

I put my arm around her and squeezed, pulling myself closer to her. "Yes. Absolutely."

Chloe turned off the engine. We were warm enough with each other now anyway. We then sat in silence until we fell asleep in each other's arms.

Sunrise woke me up. The sky was bright blue, without a cloud in it. Around us, tree branches had fallen, small bushes uprooted. I saw a squirrel scamper up a tree, acorn in his puffy little cheek. Samuel. God, I hope he's ok. I hope they're all ok.

"Chloe, you up?"

Chloe mumbled a response, "Damn it, David, just a few more minutes."

"Chloe!"

Chloe opened her eyes and looked around. She remembered in a moment what had happened.

"Are you ok, Max?"

"Yeah." I looked around at the woods one more time. Probably for the last time. It was so beautiful. It's hard to imagine I destroyed the town just last night. "Let's get out of here."

Chloe started up the truck and put it in reverse. We backed out of the spot and drove down the hill, back towards town. Whatever's left of it, anyway.

"Where to, Max?"

"Town."

"Are you sure? I could hop on the highway from here, you'd never have to see it."

"I want to see it. I need to see if… if…" My throat clenched up again. Apparently my eyes still had tears left, because I felt them fill up with fluid. I tried not to blink. I didn't want Chloe to see me crying again.

"It's ok Max." She reached out and put her hand on my shoulder again. "Whatever you want to do, wherever you want to go, Max, I'll always be right here." She would, too. She really would always be here now. I stopped tearing up and wiped away my tears. I found a new strength.

"Two Whales."

Chloe turned right, towards town. As we got closer, the damage was more apparent. Power lines were down. Tree branches were broken. Then we saw trees that had been ripped out of the ground from the force of the storm. Those trees were older than me, older than many people in the town. If they couldn't survive….

Chloe must have sensed what I was thinking. "People lived, Max, okay? We're going to get into town, and everyone will be okay, alright?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." I lied.

Chloe dodged the debris in the middle of the road as we got into town. It was awful. Buildings were just… gone. Cars were flipped over. Then, I saw it. There was a body. It was next to a car outside of the Two Whales. I looked closer and realized it was next to Warren's overturned car. He was in Two Whales in the alternate universe. What if he didn't make it in this one?

"Oh, god. Chloe, stop!" It can't be him. It just can't be. I didn't kill Warren. How could I kill Warren? Oh god, oh god.

"I was going to stop here anyway, Max is… oh no." She looked out the side and saw what I was looking at.

I ran out of the car towards the body. It couldn't be. It just couldn't be. Warren. Intelligent, dedicated, loyal, sweet, if only occasionally creepy, Warren. He was so nice. So supportive. He can't be dead. I didn't kill him. Please, please don't be dead, Warren, please. I could see his shoes from under the blanket that covered the body. They looked like Warren's sneakers.

"Max, don't!" Chloe shouted behind me as she got out of the car and chased me. Damn her long legs, she caught up to me and grabbed me, pulling me in. "Max, don't look. Just don't look." I was crying. I couldn't believe it. I can't believe I killed Warren.

"Max!"

We turned around to see Warren looking out of what was left of the Two Whales. The entrance of the building was torn apart, and Warren climbed through the debris to get outside. I looked back at the body at then back at Warren in shock. This was real, right? I didn't rip reality apart, did I? I pulled away from Chloe.

"You made it!" He ran out to me and I hugged him. I'm sure Chloe rolled her eyes. It really was him, Warren wasn't dead. I looked down at the body then back at Warren.

"I thought that was…."

"No! I stayed in the diner with a few other people. We made it, Max, we're fine."

"We're? Joyce, Frank? Pompidou? They're all ok?"

"Wow, how'd you know exactly who was in there?"

Chloe interjected. "Lucky guess. Is everyone ok? Is my mom?"

"Yes, they're all ok. Come on, we'll go inside."

Chloe and I breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief. "Who's this guy though?" I asked, motioning towards the body. I felt guilty for being so relieved that I didn't kill my friend, but instead some other guy.

"I'm not sure. I didn't recognize him. Joyce put the blanket over him this morning. He was trying to break into cars when mine tipped over. We were shouting at him to come inside, but he didn't. The car tipped and he stumbled backward. He hit his head. I'm sure he died instantly."

I started to cry. I didn't know who this man was, why he was breaking into cars. Maybe he was looking to steal Warren's phone. Or maybe he was looking for a car to take to family. Maybe he had a loved one he was trying to get to. Maybe he just wanted to spend his last moments looking into the eyes of someone he loved. I can't look down on him for that. In an alternate timeline, I stole Jefferson's car to get to Chloe. I'd have done a lot worse. Hell, I destroyed a town for her. This guy tried to steal a car. I murdered him. I'm not sure I want to see anyone right now. I'm a killer. How can I face anyone?

We got inside and Joyce, crying, ran over to us.

"Oh, Chloe, Max, you're ok!" She held Chloe tight and looked over at me. "I'm so, so happy, you two made it. Do you happen to know if David's ok?"

"I don't know. He was back at the house when I left. Max and I holed up at the lighthouse."

"You were safe up there? That's surprising, I didn't think that would be a safe area, but I guess the tornado didn't go that way. Good thinking." 

"Yeah, the storm passed right by us. We… we watched it make landfall."

"Oh, that must have been awful for you two, to see all that destruction and not be able to help."

I started to tear up again. I could have helped. I could have stopped it all. Chloe looked over at me. "We had each other."

I nodded. "Yeah, we had each other. That was enough."

Pompidou was sitting at my feet, looking up and wagging his tail. I knelt down and pat him on the head before scratching behind his cute little ears.

"He's glad you two made it." Frank said from behind the counter. "Hell, I guess I am too. You two were really supportive when I was a wreck over Rachel, I didn't forget that." I couldn't remember doing that. It must have been one of the things I did while on "autopilot." I'm glad to know autopilot Max was kind to Frank.

Joyce hugged me and pulled back. "Well, Max, what do you want, bacon and eggs, or a Belgian waffle?"

The kitchen survived the storm, which was good, because I got another delicious waffle from Joyce. It might be the last I have for a long while. Chloe and I couldn't sit in our booth, so we just sat next to each other in a circle with everyone else on the floor. She casually stretched her legs out and put them over my shins.

"Hello, anyone here?" 

We stood up and looked over the counter. It was David. He looked a little rough, but he was alive.

"David!" Joyce stood up and ran over to him. She held him tightly.

He joined us for dinner. Apparently he survived by sitting in his car in the garage. The house was mostly ok, with just a few broken windows, shingles ripped off the roof, a few leaks, and debris on the lawn, but for the most part, Chloe's childhood home was intact. I was thankful, we had so many great memories in that place, and it was one of the last remaining things Chloe had to remind her of her dad. Apparently it was far enough outside of town to avoid the worst of the storm. If her house was ok, maybe the hospital where Kate was staying was ok. Maybe a lot of people were ok. But I know at least one person died because of me, because I selfishly couldn't give up my best friend.

David told us that he saw a lot of people cleaning up on his way into town. Ironically, those Prescott assholes did one good thing for the town: they littered it with bomb shelters. Many people found safety in a shelter or basement. Arcadia Bay was surprisingly prepared for a storm like this, despite never seeing anything like it. Maybe I wasn't the mass murdering monster I thought I was. Maybe.

We finished up breakfast and Chloe went outside for a smoke. I joined her.

"I'm so glad Joyce is ok, David, Frank, and Warren too."

"Yeah, me too." She answered.

"So what's next?"

Chloe took a drag from her cigarette. "I'm sure they'll set up some shelter or something, probably at a gym or school. Then they'll rebuild this town. Hopefully better than before."

"I meant for us."

"Oh. I… well I thought that we could… we'll do whatever you want to do, Max."

"I want to leave town. I want do drive away and not look back. Would you want to do that with me?"

"Abso-fucking-lutely. I want to be wherever you are, Max."

"Do you think we can drive by the hospital? I want to make sure Kate's ok."

"Yeah, sure. Where do you want to go then?"

"I don't care, I just want to be with you, having adventures."

"Then that's what we'll do. We'll have some hella great adventures. We can head south, to San Francisco and LA. Then maybe East."

"We can stop off at my parent's place. Get some food, cash, whatever we need for an extended road trip."

"What about school?"

"I don't know. I'll just get my GED and we'll go from there. I'm done with planning every detail, trying to tweak everything to make it perfect. Life's not perfect." 

"Yeah, life is… crazy."

"I'm not going to do it anymore."

"Rewind?"

"Yeah, I'm done." I looked up at the destroyed town around me. "All of this was me, and I'll never do it again." I looked over to Chloe and met her gaze. "Except for you." After all of this, Chloe is the only person I'd ever sacrifice such destruction for again.

"For me? Max, I…" Chloe trailed off before finishing her thought, "I'm not worth it to anyone, Max."

"Chloe, that's not true."

"Yes it is, Max."

"No, Chloe, dammit, I love you."

She looked stunned. Then her face returned to normal. "Yeah, Max, I love you too, dork. We're best friends"

"No, Chloe, I mean… I _love_ you." I _had_ to know before we set out together. I had to know where she stood. Where _we_ stood. I couldn't drive off into the sunset without her knowing. What if I blurt it somewhere on the road and make things really awkward for us? What if she feels the same way about me? Everything we've been through. She dared me to kiss her. She brought it up like, 1,000 times since then. She's got to feel the same way, right? Right?

I leaned in towards her. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. Was she leaning in towards me? Would she meet me half way? Would she quickly pull away again? Oh, god, What if she pulls away, then what?

She dropped her cigarette and put her hands behind my head, cradling my face. Her touch was like electricity passing through my body; I felt alive. I felt like I really did make the right choice. I put my arms around her waist. We kissed, passionately.

We pulled away. Chloe was the first to talk. "So uh, yeah. I guess I had no reason to be jealous of Warren after all"

I laughed. "I told you he was just a close friend. Listen, I'm sorry, I know this is terrible timing, but I just… I had to know before we left."

"No, I get it. It was… um… it was really nice."

I blushed and she put her arm around me.

"Come on, let's go."

We said our goodbyes, got in the car, and left. We drove by the hospital. There were a few broken windows, and the hospital sign was ripped right off the building. A helicopter sat, upside down and burned, in the parking lot. The building itself was fine though. Everyone inside was likely ok. It was hectic outside. People were rushing to and from ambulances, others were setting up tents outside. It looked like a few were packing supplies up into trucks. That's when I saw her, Kate was helping load a truck up with supplies to help the people in town. Kate made it too.

"Ok, Chloe, let's go."

I moved over on the bench seat again, sitting right next to Chloe. I put my head on her shoulder. She turned towards me and I looked up. We kissed again. Then, we drove out of town.

Chapter 2

"I think we have enough gas to make it to your parent's place now." Chloe was filling up the truck and talking to me through the passenger side window. I looked out and back at her. The sun was starting to set behind her, casting long shadows. The golden hour. I couldn't resist. I reached into my bag and pulled out my camera. I was so glad I kept it in Chloe's car during my "autopilot" mode. I snapped a photo of Chloe when she wasn't looking. She laughed. "That didn't take you too long. We're on the road for a few hours and you're already snapping pics!"

The tank was full, and the nozzle clicked off. "Hey, do you want anything?" Chloe motioned towards the convenience store.

"Nah, I'm still full from Burger King, and I still have plenty of soda left."

"Ok."

Chloe hopped back in the car. I leaned up against the passenger side window. I felt extremely tired for some reason. I fell asleep.

The storm tore through town. I stood, helpless, as my classmates were, one by one, swallowed by the storm. Ms. Grant came up to me. "Why Max, why did you do this to us? Why didn't you care? Why didn't you save us?" She was crying and screaming at me. She put a scalpel in my hand. "Go fix what you've done, Max." She pointed behind me, where Chloe was standing.

Chloe stood there, crying and angry. "I'll never forgive you if you let me live, Max. My life is worthless compared to everyone else!" She grabbed my hand, the one that held the scalpel, and forced it to her neck, slicing it right across with a sickening smile on her face. "I never really loved you Max, I'm just stuck with you now," she burbled.

"CHLOE!"

I tore my eyes open. Where was I? Where's Chloe? When, what day is it? The storm? Am I in the dark room? Did I save everyone? Anyone? Are they all dead? I was hyperventilating and felt like I was about to pass out.

"Hey, hey, Max, calm down." I felt her hand on my shoulder, and it all came back to me. I was in a truck with Chloe. It was late at night. We were driving to my paren't place.

"Oh, god, Chloe, it was just a dream." I held her hand on my shoulder. "Chloe, it was so awful."

"Hey, it was a dream, we're here, together. You're ok."

"I wasn't worried about me, Chloe."

"… I know, Max, I know. Come on, we'll get a hotel for the night, ok? We're both beat and we could use some good sleep."

I was spaced out, staring out the window. "Yeah, ok," I responded after a delay. Chloe was already taking the exit. "We could have made it in one day if we didn't stop so long for dinner."

"Yeah, but we were starving, and you were bogarting all the fries."

"They were my fries!"

"Yours, mine, what's the difference?" Chloe looked over at me with a grin.

We pulled into the motel parking lot. It was a tiny place, and the lot was pretty full. Maybe they were other people from Arcadia Bay who left before we did. They escaped the storm. My storm.

"We've got one room left, but it's a single bed."

"That's fine," Chloe replied.

"We need a credit card." I gave them the one my parents gave me.

"Just one night?"

"Yup."

"Ok. Hey, you two hear about Arcadia Bay? Whole damn town was leveled." She pointed up at the TV behind us. It was muted, with closed captioning on. "They're saying 15 people died already. Would have been hundreds if not for those bomb shelters all over the town. What are the odds?"

"Uh, yeah, we're coming from there." Chloe replied as she took the key and hustled me out the door.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Have a nice stay!"

"15 people." I collapsed on the bed and turned to the wall. "I killed 15 people."

"No, fuck that, Max. You saved so many people. You saved me, ok?" She pulled on my shoulder, forcing me to face her. "Max, don't blame yourself for one second. You didn't kill those people."

"My storm did."

"We don't even know for sure if that was you, ok? And even if it was, you couldn't help it without letting me… without letting me…"

"I could never do that."

"Exactly, so stop blaming yourself." She reached out and starting rubbing my shoulder. "It wasn't your fault, ok? If it's anyone's fault, it's mine."

"No, Chloe."

She started to tear up. "I didn't deserve life, Max, I don't deserve your love." Now it was her turn to face the far wall. I put my arm around her.

"Chloe, you're the only one who _does_ deserve my love." I held her. I held her so tightly. I really saved her. She was really here. It was worth it. She is worth it. I didn't realize it then, but that would become my new mantra for the next few months. Chloe is worth it.

Eventually we stopped crying. Chloe held my hand and pulled me close to her back. We slept. I didn't have nightmares that night.

Chapter 3

I awoke to a knocking on the door and a woman's voice, "Hey, it's checkout time!"

"Oh my god, Chloe, we overslept."

"It's not oversleeping if you've got nothing to wake up for."

"Come on, we have to check out." We had to get on the road. I'm sure my parents were worried sick about me. I told them we were running behind schedule last night, but they likely expected us to get there well before noon.

"Hey, we needed our sleep. She looked over at me, smiling. Besides, I don't think I've slept that soundly in a long time. I love being little spoon."

"You're too tall for it," I said, grinning.

"Shut up, dork," she hit me with a pillow. I grabbed one and she squeaked, jumping off the bed and heading for the door.

"You'd better run!" I laughed and got out of bed. She jumped me as I left the room and planting a big kiss on me.

"Let's go see your folks."

We pulled into my parent's drive way around 2 in the afternoon. Hella late, as Chloe would say.

"So, um, what do we tell them about us?"

"Oh, I… I haven't thought about it."

"Do your parents know you're queer?"

"I mean, I never thought about it before. I never dated a girl before."

"Oh, is that what we're doing then?" Chloe had the biggest shit eating grin on her face. "Am I your _girl_ friend?" She asked in a sing song-y voice.

I hadn't thought of it like that. I mean, Chloe's my best friend. I love her. I sacrificed a town and the people in it for her. That's one hell of a love letter. Maybe she really should be my girlfriend.

"Well I um… well, I mean, if you… do you want to be…"

"Yes, Max," she said, cutting me off, "I want to be your girlfriend… dork." She parked the car and leaned over for a kiss. Afterwards she sat back. "So are we telling your parents you're a big ol' carpet muncher?" She nudged me.

"'Carpet muncher?' Hella gross." 

"Hey, rug munching is not gross."

"No, but your phrasing is," I said shaking my head.

She laughed. I looked over at her, so happy to see her laughing instead of crying. "Yeah, Chloe, I'm going to tell my parents I'm a big, fat, lesbian carpet muncher."

"Don't be crude, Max." She stuck her tongue out as she jumped out of the truck.

We went inside. My parents hugged both of us. They insisted we stay the night before heading out. They weren't too happy with my plan, but they understood why I needed to take some time off. They also weren't happy about me setting out without knowing where I'm going, but they agreed that it could give me plenty of opportunities to add to my portfolio for college.

We sat down for dinner. Mom was a great cook. Not quite Joyce-level, but pretty good. Better than my sorry efforts.

"Oh, we set up the guest bedroom for you Chloe."

"That won't be necessary, mom."

My dad looked worried. "But you two are staying the night, right?"

"Yeah, but Chloe's just going to sleep in my room."

"Like when you two were kids, huh?"

"Well, not exactly." Chloe flashed a smile at me. I reached over and held her hand. "Mom? Dad? Chloe and I are dating."

There was a pause that seemed to last forever. Then, my dad started laughing. 

"Dad?"

"Oh, man, your mom owes me 10 bucks!"

"You knew?"

"Well, you two just seemed so damn close as kids."

"I told him that was normal for girls your age."

"And I thought you two were just too close to be just friends forever. When we moved, you were so crushed, couldn't even talk to her. That's when I really suspected that you may have cared about her more than you were saying."

"We're so happy for you two though, I wish you the best of luck."

"Thanks, Mr. and Mrs. Caulfield."

We ate dinner and then went to watch some TV. I sat next to Chloe. She did a clearly faked yawn and put her arm around me.

"Goof." I nudged her. It was adorable, actually. Hella adorable. My little punk protector.

We watched a movie and my parents went off to bed. Chloe and I stayed up watching a movie on Netflix. It wasn't long before we were making out. Then, Chloe was on top of me. She edged her hand toward the waist of my jeans. "Do you want to um…"

"I don't want to wake my parents, or worse, get caught. Oh my god, that would be so embarrassing."

"That's not going to happen, you know." Chloe smiled at me. God, I love that smile. She always did bring out the daring side of me.

Wowser.

We eventually went up to my bedroom to sleep, there just wasn't enough room on the couch for it. My old twin bead was small, but it was more comfortable than a couch. We held each other tight again, exhausted.

I was in the dark room. Did I rewind back here? How am I here again? Jefferson hovered over me as I was tied to a chair. I couldn't even get my leg free.

"Oh, so sorry, I wasn't going to let you get away that easily. You must have had one hell of a dream. Bet you wish you were anywhere but here. Probably off fucking that blue haired bitch. You know she doesn't love you, you're not woman enough for her, you're just a little hipster bitch who leveled a town for a crush. She feels like she's stuck with you now. You think I'm a monster? I only killed that nosy dyke girlfriend of yours. You? You destroyed a fucking town, you cunt." He pointed behind himself at Chloe. She had a bullet hole in her head, one in her stomach, and one near her chest. She started bleeding profusely when I looked at her.

She looked right at me, locking her dead eyes on mine. "Why, Max? Why'd you kill them all for me? Fuck you, Max, fuck you."

Jefferson walked over to her with a handgun. "See, Max? Always take the shot."

"CHLOE!"

I was covered in sweat. Chloe was already fully awake, stroking my hair. "I'm ok, Max, see? I'm ok. You're ok too. We're here, together, at your parent's place."

"I was back in the dark room. You were… you were…"

"No, Max, it was a dream, ok?"

"It felt so real, like I accidentally traveled back there."

"You were right here, in my arms the whole time. You'll always be right here. I'm never leaving you again."

I thought about my dream for a moment. "You know, you could if you wanted to."

"Could what?"

"You could leave me if you wanted to. I don't want you to feel like you have to be here because I leveled a town so some rich asshole didn't kill you in the bathroom."

"Fuck that, Max. I'm here because I love you, ok? I love you, Max Caulfield, get that through your adorable little head."

I heard a knock at the door. "You kids ok?"

"Yeah, Dad, I just had a nightmare."

"Ok, goodnight." I heard him walk back down the hallway.

"See, Max? He knew not to open the door. So come on, let's get nasty again."

I started laughing uncontrollably. "Go to bed you horndog."

She kissed me on the neck and flicked my ear with her tongue. "Ok, dork, whatever you say." She snuggled me close, and wiggled her hips. "Nighty night."

I slept soundly for the rest of the night.

Chapter 4

I had packed up a bunch of clothing and got money for food and gas on the road. Plus, Chloe wanted to get something more punk than anything I had.

"It's all too small and ironic for me anyway."

We put everything in Chloe's truck and said our goodbyes to my parents. Then, we hit the road. The first stop was San Francisco. I got some amazing photos of the bay, the Golden Gate Bridge, and, of course, of Chloe, my parter in crime, time, and life. We saw some incredible art galleries. I even went to the same gallery I once stood in, looking at my own photos. It was a different universe, one that never happened. But to me, it did. It proved to me that I have the talent to make it here, I just have to play my cards right.

After San Francisco, we hit up LA. Rachel would have liked it. It wasn't really our scene though. Everything was far too fake. Beautiful though, absolutely beautiful. Chloe even got me to sneak really close to the Hollywood sign for some cool shots.

I had nightmares a few times every week. It's probably some form of PTSD. Every time I wake up I'm confused about where I am, when I am. Each dream feels like one of those alternate universes. Sometimes I'm seeing everyone die. I see Chloe die, over and over again. She tells me she loves Rachel, not me. Jefferson is torturing me. Nathan is killing Chloe while I watch in the bathroom, eating popcorn. I can't even see a shrink about any of this. How do I explain having PTSD about events that never actually happened to me in this reality? Chloe is always there to comfort me though, and I always sleep soundly after she strokes her fingers through my hair and kisses my forehead. I just need a reminder that she's here, with me.

In each rundown motel we stayed at, Chloe helped me study for my GED. For someone who got kicked out of school, she really was brilliant. In June, I set out to take the test. Chloe drove me to a local community college to take it.

"You've got this, kiddo. Just remember the quadratic formula, and when to use it, and you'll do just fine." Math wasn't my strong suit. She gave me a passionate kiss before I went in, "For luck."

The test wasn't easy, it took me a few hours, but I finished it. A week later, my parents got a letter in the mail and called me. I passed. I was officially a high school graduate. I told the news to Chloe. I went from a public school, to a scholarship at an incredible private school, to getting my GED somewhere in Oklahoma. You really can't plan life, it's too… unpredictable.

Chloe and I decided to celebrate. We splurged a little. If it wasn't for my freelance photography, and Chloe working odd jobs like landscaping, babysitting, and retail jobs, we likely wouldn't have had the money to go to such a nice restaurant, but it was worth it. We were trying to make it to NYC, where I might apply somewhere for a good photography program and do freelance work in my free time. Chloe was even talking about going back to college. She was always fantastic with science and math, even if she rarely applied herself in school. NYC would be great for both of us, as there are so many options. But we might end up back on the west coast too.

Dinner was nice. We actually left the restaurant and hit the road directly. No sense in wasting time. We got tired and stayed at a little hotel in Missouri. The motel owner looked at us with disgust when we said we wanted a single bed. I sometimes forget that not everyone in America is accepting of couples like Chloe and I.

It was in a small diner outside of Pittsburgh that my life changed forever.

"This place really reminds me of the Two Whales." I was looking at a nearly identical menu, with a very similar atmosphere. "If I didn't know better, I'd say they rebuilt the Two Whales right here in Pennsylvania."

"Yeah, that's why I picked it. I even picked a booth that's similar to our booth in Arcadia Bay."

"That seems like a lot of effort just for a greasy burger and fries."

"Max, these last 9 months on the road with you have been the best days of my life."

"Yeah, mine too, Chloe."

"I want every day from now on to be like this. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Max."

"Are you saying…"

"Hey, let me finish, I planned so much of this out."

"Oh my god."

"Max, never Maxine, Caulfield…" she paused to grin, "will you marry me?" She pulled out a ring box with a small traditional diamond ring inside. I don't know how she afforded it.

"Wowser." I smiled from ear to ear as tears began streaming down my face. I looked across the table at her.

"Well?" I realized I had been letting her hanging for what seemed like forever. But how could she not know my answer?

"Yes, yes of course!" She leaned across the table and kissed me. Everything was perfect. It was all so perfect. I didn't care about where I ended up. I didn't care where we lived or what schools we went to. We had each other, and that was enough to make my life perfect.

Epilogue

Chloe wasn't one for dresses. She opted to wear a nice tuxedo. She wouldn't give up on her Doc Martens though. That's ok, I was wearing my Chucks under my dress. I thought it would be nice if we both wore ironically inappropriate footwear. Of course, Chloe called me a hipster for that.

I walked down the isle. Everyone turned around to look back at me. Joyce, David, my Mom and Dad, Warren and Brooke, Kate, Alyssa, and even Victoria. It was so surreal. When I stood on that cliff, I thought every one of these people would die. They all somehow survived. I'm so happy, I really did make the right choice. I looked to the end of the isle. Chloe's beautiful blue hair, dapper tux, and badass shoes were nothing in comparison to the tearful smile she gave me the moment she saw me. I guess I must have looked pretty good too.

It was time for our vows. I wasn't a great writer, and I had to keep parts vague, but I think I did a good job. We nailed the last few sentences, I think, anyway.

"…Chloe, you are everything to me. I vow that you will always be first in my heart, that I will always sacrifice everything for you, and that I will always be your partner in crime, time, and life."

"…Max, I vow to always be by your side. I will be your partner in crime, time, and life. No matter where you go, no matter what you do, I will be right there, being hella awesome with you. I vow that nothing will ever keep us apart, dork."

We said I do, kissed, and that was it. I was officially the wife of my best friend, my greatest love, my Chloe. I'm Max Price-Caulfield, college student, professional photographer, time traveler, wife, and definitely the happiest woman alive.

It's a good thing someone's taking photos, because I'm going to want to relive this moment again one day. Not to change anything, never to change anything again. You don't mess with perfection.


End file.
